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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · bark · leaves · game · mine · shower · fork · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bank — for money
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — in a road
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a match
  12. bank — of a river
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. shower — to wash
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. snap — to click
  20. bark — to shout
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com